


Running Hot

by mmmdraco



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Double Entendre, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-05
Updated: 2012-09-05
Packaged: 2017-11-13 14:34:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I do not think that means what you think it means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running Hot

For the third move in a row, Hikaru did not take the bait. Akira scowled and dug his fingers deeper into his go ke. "Seriously?" he muttered under his breath as he looked at the black stones already seeming to crowd the half of the board nearer to the other man. Akira picked up a white stone and placeed it where Hikaru couldn't help but respond unless he wanted his previous stone to have no significance.

But Hikaru stuck to his side of the board as though he was an elementary school student who thought he'd get cooties if he went beyond the 10th line. Akira made a noise of disgust and, before he could really think about what he was doing, said loudly, "This is almost as bad as that game you played against Ogata."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes at Akira. "What? No it isn't."

"Yes, it is. You've haven't played a single stone in response. It's like you forgot how to play the game." Akira paused. "Is that what happened after our second game? Did you hit your head and get amnesia?"

Looking cagey for a moment, Hikaru dug into his go ke. "No. Play your hand."

Akira slapped down a stone that threatened to tear down what Hikaru had already built and Hikaru grinned. "Hikaru, is there something wrong with you today?"

Hikaru muttered something that Akira couldn't quite make out, and then squirmed a little. "I may have pulled a muscle or two in my back. It's no big deal. I just wasn't sure I could reach all the way over."

"So you decided to play... I don't know. Were you helping your grandfather again?" Akira had sympathy for the moment because he'd been taught to respect his elders, and if that is the case, it isn't the first time that Hikaru had hurt himself moving around large boxes in his grandfather's attic, but it was the first time for it to happen the day before he had a major game.

Only Hikaru lifted a hand to rake through his hair and winced visably. "Um, no. Some guys I went to middle school with had something of a reunion yesterday and I went."

"And you hurt yourself... how?"

"I was on the soccer team with some of them. You know, before I really got into go, and they were telling me there was no way I was still any good."

Akira closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Stop. I can already tell that this is just going to end in misery."

"If it helps, I totally scored before falling flat on my back!" Hikaru held up one fist in a restrained victory pose.

"And now you can't play and it's the day before you challenge for the Gosei title." Akira shook his head. "This is ridiculous. Listen, Ichikawa-san keeps a bunch of pain patches in the first aid kid since a lot of the older men strain themselves with too much play. Put a few of those on and it should help."

Hikaru looked at Akira expectantly. "And... where's the first aid kit?"

Akira stood up. "I'll show you." He started to walk past Hikaru, but stopped to hold out a hand to help the other man up. The first aid kit was on a shelf behind the counter and he opened it. He handed two pain patches to Hikaru. "Just go in the bathroom to put them on."

Clutching the two packages, Hikaru nodded and stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Akira glanced over the handful of notes that Ichikawa-san had left at the desk and looked up to see that she was bringing tea to one of the regulars. It was only moments later that he heard a shriek from the bathroom. Akira pushed open the door. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just pulled out a chunk of hair."

Akira wasn't sure he wanted to know, but asked anyway. "How in the world did you manage that?"

"Because this stupid thing got stuck in my hair!"

"Shindou-kun, do you not even know how to apply a pain patch?" Even Akira noticed the hint of teasing in his own voice.

Hikaru stomped over to the doorway so he could see Akira. "I've never put one of these things on before, okay?"

Akira sighed. "Fine. I'll help."

"I wasn't asking for your help!"

"But you obviously need it!"

Hikaru held up his hand with the pain patch clumped and wadded together around the end of his index finger. "Is this one still useable?"

Akira sighed again, but louder this time. "Let me just get another one." He grabbed two.

After entering the bathroom, Akira locked the door behind him. "Take off your shirt."

"What?!" Hikaru clutched at the bright yellow fabric.

"This is much easier without your clothes on!" Akira pointed to the wadded up patch that Hikaru had left sitting on the edge of the sink. "It's because you had that on that it got stuck."

Hikaru scowled, but lifted his shirt up. Or, at least, he tried. When his arms got up to shoulder-level, he winced. "Okay, a little help here? This one's just a little tight."

"Fine." Akira helped ease the fabric off of Hikaru's arms and over the top of his ridiculous hair. "The things I have to help you with."

Hikaru balled up the shirt and held it in his hand as he leaned on the edge of the sink. "Just go ahead. Put it on."

"Hold on, Shindou-kun." Akira struggled with the packaging for a moment. 

"Just do it to me already!" 

Akira peeled the backing off the patch. "Where?"

Hikaru pointed to the back of his shoulder. "Right here."

Akira pressed the patch against Hikaru's skin and smoothed it out with his fingers. Hikaru groaned. "Mmm. That feels... Shit! That burns!" He went to reach for it, but Akira stopped him. "Touya! It hurts!"

"Oh course it does. It's menthol and capsaicin. It hurts now so it can feel good later. Get over it! Now where do you want this one?"

Hikaru squirmed and pointed to a spot on his lower back. "Right here. Oh, if this didn't feel good, too!"

"If you wanted this to feel good, maybe you shouldn't have been sprawled flat on your back _yesterday_."

"Yeah, like you wouldn't have been right beside me in those circumstances. No. You probably would have been on your knees first." Hikaru shifted as Akira pressed the next pain patch on him. "Yeah. Press it in right there. That feels good."

Akira pushed at one corner of the patch that had folded up. "Lean forward more. I need to pull this a little for it to lay right."

Hikaru stretched out further so his torso was almost flat against the sink. "Better?"

Peeling up the edge and then smoothing it out, Akira nodded before realizing Hikaru couldn't see him. "Yeah. Much better. Okay, it's on. You can stand up."

"Don't you have one more?"

Akira opened the last package. "You want another?"

"Yeah. Just right by the last one." Hikaru leaned forward a little more so his back was taut. Akira ran a hand over the patch as he applied it to lay it flat.

But when Hikaru went to stand, his head caught against the bottom of the faucet and he screamed, "Touya!" He rubbed at his head and continued to wince as he moved. "I'm going to be in so much pain during my match tomorrow."

Akira frowned. "It's not my fault you can't take a little pain."

"A little? You try getting hit with a blunt object that big!" Hikaru put his arms through his sleeves and tried to lift his shirt back up over his head. "Um, hey, a little help with this?"

With a little effort, Akira pulled the shirt over Hikaru's head and down his back. On the way, his hand brushed against the pain patch. "Wow. That's hot."

"I know, right?" Hikaru stretched his neck. "It's like I can feel it all the way through me." Hikaru looked down at his pants and frowned. "Why is this thing vibrating?" He dug in his pocket for his phone and answered it. "Yeah."

Akira stood back as Hikaru spoke on the phone and gave only affirmative answers as he held up a hand and flapped the fingers together. From this, Akira assumed that Hikaru was talking to his mother. Hikaru finally growled and yelled into the phone, "God, yes! I'm coming!" He hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket.

"I've got a friend coming over for a game tonight. I always play her before big games to relax." Hikaru's voice was quiet now and he was wiping his hands, damp from clutching the sink, on his pants. "So, I probably need to get going. I didn't realize what time it was."

"It's fine," Akira said. "You weren't any good today anyway. Go home and heal and we'll try again later."

Hikaru laughed. He looked at Akira for a moment. "Geez, your face is red. But it's kind of warm in here, isn't it?"

Akira laughed with him. "Yeah. You're a little pink yourself."

Unlocking the door, Hikaru stood poised to open it. "Thanks for that, by the way. I think I needed it. Without you, I just kept getting sticky stuff in my hair." He dropped his voice to a whisper to say, "and your fly is open."

Akira's eyes flew open and he reached down to raise his zipper just as Hikaru opened the door. Nearly everyone in the salon was gathered outside of the bathroom. Akira stepped forward cautiously. "I'm sorry you had to wait. I was helping Shindou-kun with a little problem."

Ichikawa was standing off to the side and clutching her tea tray to her chest. Her bottom lip quivered before she cried out, "Akira-kun!"

Hikaru glanced back at Akira as he tried to walk forward through the crowd of people, but kept making faces as the muscle pain overwhelmed him. Akira shrugged. "What's wrong, Ichikawa-san?"

"Akira-kun... Do you need me to help you tell your parents? They'll support you, though. I'm certain of it."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Akira glanced at the faces of the go salon patrons and saw no hints of laughter and perhaps even a few looks of scorn. "What's going on?"

Kitajima stopped Hikaru by stepping in front of him. "It's your fault. You did something to Touya-sensei!"

Hikaru's jaw dropped. "What?! He was doing stuff to _me_ in there!"

Akira sighed. "It's true. I'm very sorry we were loud."

Hirose put a hand on Kitajima's elbow. "Leave him alone. This is Touya-kun's decision."

Akira closed his eyes and took another deep breath. " _What_ is it that you all think I've done? All I was doing was helping Shindou-kun put on pain patches because he can't be trusted with them on his own!"

Ichikawa dropped her tray. "What?! But the things we heard you saying..."

Hikaru walked back toward Akira. "We didn't say anything strange, did we? I thought it was all pretty normal."

Hirose was now attempting to urge everyone back toward their seats and it worked after a long moment of staring. Hikaru scowled as he attempted to stretch his arms out in front of himself. "Ugh, Touya? I've got to get going. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Akira smiled. "Of course. I'll be there to watch your game. You'd better win."

"Of course I'm going to win!" Hikaru waved and headed off to grab his things from their abandoned table.

"Um, Touya-kun..." Ichikawa tapped Akira lightly on the shoulder. "I know you don't want anyone else to know, but you can talk to me about it, okay?"

"Talk to you about... What?" Akira's eyebrows raised.

"About you and Shindou-kun and... You know." She made a few gestures with her fingers.

Akira tried to puzzle out the meaning of the hand gestures. "Our... Fighting?"

Ichikawa smiled widely. "Yes. Tell me, do you need me to buy anything for you? You know, if it happens again?"

"Hmm... I think everything we need is already in the first aid kit, but thank you for thinking of us."

"What?" Ichikawa spluttered as Akira walked off and wondered what exactly he had missed. But it was always something with Hikaru.


End file.
